A Safety and Pharmacokinetics Trial of VO659 in SCA1, SCA3 and HD

Last updated: August 20, 2025
Sponsor: Vico Therapeutics B. V.
Overall Status: Active - Recruiting

Phase

1/2

Condition

Dyskinesias

Spinocerebellar Disorders

Friedreich's Ataxia

Treatment

VO659

Clinical Study ID

NCT05822908
VO659-CT01
2024-514328-18-00
2022-001314-19
  • Ages 25-60
  • All Genders

Study Summary

The goal of this first-in-human clinical trial is to assess the safety and tolerability of four doses of a new study drug called VO659 in people with genetic disorders called spinocerebellar ataxia type 1, type 3 or Huntington's disease. Another aim is to determine the concentrations of the study drug in the cerebral spinal fluid and blood after single and multiple doses. Study drug will be administered by lumbar intrathecal bolus injections.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion

Main Inclusion Criteria:

  • Provide written informed consent (signed and dated). Patients should be assessed fortheir ability to give informed consent using the Evaluation to Sign Consent tool.

  • Is ≥25 and ≤60 years of age inclusive, of any gender, at the time of signing theinformed consent.

  • Have SCA1, SCA3 or HD meeting one of the following criteria:

  1. SCA1 and SCA3: mild to moderate disease with a Scale for Assessment and Ratingof Ataxia (SARA) score of ≥3 and ≤18

  2. HD: early manifest, Stage I disease with a Total Functional Capacity (TFC)Score of ≥11 and ≤13 and a Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS)Diagnostic Confidence Level (DCL) of 4.

  • Have genetically confirmed disease, defined by increased cytosine, adenine, andguanine (CAG) repeat length in the disease-causing allele by direct DNA testing. Foreach indication the requirements are:
  1. SCA1: ≥41 contiguous, uninterrupted CAG repeats in the ATXN1 gene

  2. SCA3: ≥61 repeats in the ATXN3 gene

  3. HD: ≥40 CAG repeats in the HTT gene.

  • Please note there will be additional inclusion criteria

Exclusion

Main Exclusion Criteria:

  • Have any condition that would prevent participation in trial assessments.

  • Have one or more pathogenic mutation(s) in another polyQ disease gene, i.e., ATXN2,CACNA1A, ATXN7, TBP, AR, and ATN1, plus either ATXN3 and HTT (for patients withSCA1), ATXN1 and HTT (for participants with SCA3), or ATXN1 and ATXN3 (forparticipants with HD), in addition to the disease-causing mutation in the ATXN1 (patients with SCA1), ATXN3 (patients with SCA3) or HTT (patients with HD) gene.

  • Have clinical diagnosis of moderate or severe chronic migraines or history of thepost-lumbar-puncture headache of moderate or severe intensity requiringhospitalisation or blood patch.

  • Have a brain, spinal or systemic disorder that would interfere with the LP process,CSF circulation, or safety assessments.

  • Have history of bleeding diathesis or coagulopathy, platelet count less than thelower limit of normal unless stable and assessed by the investigator and the MedicalMonitor to be not clinically significant.

  • Have uncompensated cardiovascular disorder, any past or present cardiac arrhythmia,QTcF values on screening ECG of >470 ms, familial history of long QT syndrome orsudden unexpected death.

  • Have a history of attempted suicide, suicidal ideation with a plan that requiredhospital admission and/or change in level of care within 12 months prior toscreening.

  • Have medical, psychiatric, or other conditions that, in the judgement of theinvestigator, may compromise the patient's ability to understand the patientinformation sheet, to give informed consent, to comply with all trial requirements,or to complete the trial.

  • Prior treatment with an antisense oligonucleotide (including siRNA).

  • Pregnant or breast-feeding (lactating) women or women who plan to become pregnant orbreast-feed during the trial.

  • Unable to undergo and tolerate MRI scans.

  • Please note there will be additional exclusion criteria

Study Design

Total Participants: 68
Treatment Group(s): 1
Primary Treatment: VO659
Phase: 1/2
Study Start date:
February 14, 2023
Estimated Completion Date:
October 15, 2028

Study Description

Spinocerebellar ataxia types 1 and 3 (SCA1 and SCA3), as well as Huntington's disease (HD) are severely debilitating, monogenic, neurodegenerative diseases that presently have no treatments to slow or stop clinical progression. Preclinical data suggest that VO659 may be a disease-modifying therapy in these disorders through its binding to the expansion of CAG repeats in the RNA transcripts of the causative genes, thus interfering with RNA translation and reducing the intracellular level of the harmful mutant proteins.

The present trial is the first-in-human (FiH) evaluation of VO659. This is an open-label, multiple ascending dose, multi-centre phase 1/2a trial investigate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics and explore the pharmacodynamics of intrathecally administered study drug VO659.

The trial population comprises generally ambulatory participants with mild to moderate SCA1 or SCA3, or early manifest HD. Participants are assigned to dose-ascending treatment cohorts based on the order of enrolment. Dose-escalation is planned in up to five dose levels. Dose-level cohorts one and two will comprise participants with SCA3 only, and from dose-level cohorts three onwards participants with SCA1, SCA3 and HD will be enrolled.

The total duration of trial participation for each participant in Dose-level Cohorts 1-3 is up to approximately 45 weeks, consisting of a screening period of up to 6 weeks, a 14-week dosing period, and a 25-week post-dosing period.

The total duration of trial participation for each participant in Dose-level Cohort 4 is up to approximately 58 weeks, consisting of a screening period of up to 7 weeks, a 26-week dosing period, and a 25-week post dosing period. The total duration of trial participation for each participant in Dose-level Cohort 5 is up to approximately 58 weeks, consisting of a screening period of up to 7 weeks, a single dosing followed by a 51-week period of non-dosing, observational visits (split into a 26-week 'dosing period' and a 25-week 'post-dosing period' for consistency in the SoA with Dose-level Cohort 4).

Connect with a study center

  • Rigshospitalet

    Copenhagen 2618425,
    Denmark

    Active - Recruiting

  • Rigshospitalet

    Kopenhagen,
    Denmark

    Site Not Available

  • Centre Hospitalier Universitaire dÁngers

    Angers,
    France

    Site Not Available

  • Centre Hospitalier Universitaire dÁngers

    Angers 3037656,
    France

    Active - Recruiting

  • CHU Gui de Chauliac Montpellier- Expert Center of Neurogenetic diseases, Department of Neurology

    Montpellier,
    France

    Site Not Available

  • CHU Gui de Chauliac Montpellier- Expert Center of Neurogenetic diseases, Department of Neurology

    Montpellier 2992166,
    France

    Active - Recruiting

  • Universtiry Hospitals Pitie Salpetriere - Charles foix - Paris

    Paris,
    France

    Site Not Available

  • Universtiry Hospitals Pitie Salpetriere - Charles foix - Paris

    Paris 2988507,
    France

    Active - Recruiting

  • Katholisches Klinikum Bochum

    Bochum,
    Germany

    Site Not Available

  • Katholisches Klinikum Bochum

    Bochum 2947416,
    Germany

    Active - Recruiting

  • Deutsches Zentrum fur Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE)

    Bonn,
    Germany

    Site Not Available

  • Deutsches Zentrum fur Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE)

    Bonn 2946447,
    Germany

    Active - Recruiting

  • Universitatsklinikum Essen - Neurologie

    Essen,
    Germany

    Site Not Available

  • Universitatsklinikum Essen - Neurologie

    Essen 2928810,
    Germany

    Active - Recruiting

  • Universitatsklinikum Tübingen

    Tübingen,
    Germany

    Site Not Available

  • Universitatsklinikum Tübingen

    Tübingen 2820860,
    Germany

    Active - Recruiting

  • Meir Medical Center

    Kfar Saba,
    Israel

    Site Not Available

  • Meir Medical Center

    Kfar Saba 294514,
    Israel

    Active - Recruiting

  • Sourmansky Medical Center

    Tel Aviv,
    Israel

    Site Not Available

  • Sourmansky Medical Center

    Tel Aviv 293397,
    Israel

    Active - Recruiting

  • Leiden University Medical Center LUMC

    Leiden,
    Netherlands

    Site Not Available

  • Leiden University Medical Center LUMC

    Leiden 2751773,
    Netherlands

    Active - Recruiting

  • Radbout University Medical Centre

    Nijmegen, 6525GC
    Netherlands

    Site Not Available

  • Radbout University Medical Centre

    Nijmegen 2750053,
    Netherlands

    Active - Recruiting

  • Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology

    Warsaw,
    Poland

    Site Not Available

  • University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation

    London,
    United Kingdom

    Site Not Available

  • University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation

    London 2643743,
    United Kingdom

    Active - Recruiting

  • John Radcliffe Hospital

    Oxford,
    United Kingdom

    Site Not Available

  • John Radcliffe Hospital

    Oxford 2640729,
    United Kingdom

    Active - Recruiting

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